Archive · 29 Dec 2025
Indonesia's free meal scheme lags behind target
Indonesia started a big program to give free meals to lots of kids and pregnant women.
The president promised this during his campaign.
They wanted to help 83 million people, but now they think they can only help 80 million by April.
That's still less than they planned.
Some kids got sick from the food, and the program is costing a lot of money.
The government is spending a huge amount on it, and they plan to spend even more next year.
They had to change their plans because they didn't have enough kitchens to make all the food.
Indonesia's free school meals programme aims to reach 80 million recipients by April, down from the original target of 83 million.
The programme has faced delays and controversies, including food poisoning cases affecting over 11,000 children.
The government has allocated 171 trillion rupiah for the programme this year and plans to double it to 335 trillion rupiah for 2026.
The full roll-out was originally targeted for the end of 2025, but has been scaled back due to kitchen shortages and other issues.
The senior minister overseeing the food sector announced the updated targets after a meeting with government bodies.
- Who
- Indonesian government, President Prabowo Subianto
- What
- Free school meals programme
- When
- Launched in January, target to reach 80 million by April
- Where
- Indonesia
- Why
- To provide food to school children and pregnant women, but facing delays and controversies
- Target Recipients by April
- 80 million
- Original Full Roll-out Target
- End of 2025
- Current Budget for 2025
- 171 trillion rupiah ($10.19 billion)
- Budget for 2026
- 335 trillion rupiah
- Food Poisoning Cases
- 11,000+ children